Village Hall Transformation

There are three things I’m very passionate about when it comes to weddings: Uniqueness, logistics and budget. This all sounds very dry, I know, but let me expand…

You’re unique. The two of you are unique. So your wedding should be too. Don’t conform to something you don’t want: let your personalities saturate your day!

Logistics. When everything flows, you can relax and your guests can simply enjoy the day. By not putting too much pressure on yourselves and your loved ones you ensure that everyone can have a lovely time.

Budget. Seeing a couple twist themselves inside out to afford the wedding they want breaks my heart. There are ways to create perfect days without breaking the bank. A lot less stressful, and a lot let pressure on you.

In order to show you how all of the above can be achieved, have a look at what we created at Kirtlington Village Hall.

Now this does not look like an inspiring place, but it has all the right elements: beautiful setting with Kirtlington Park on the doorstep, functional kitchen, a good sized hall and a very reasonable venue hire.

The downside is of course breezeblock walls, a rather ugly curtain and badminton lines on the floor.

But with Something Borrowed Event Hire’s help… voila.

The civil ceremony laws are slowly changing, and this is something I can’t wait to see finalised: more venue options for couples would be fantastic! But even if licensing laws don’t change, you still have the opportunity to have a celebrant conduct your ceremony: completely personalised, a celebrant will do everything bespoke, as opposed to a registrar. You would simply need to do your legal paperwork at a registry office.

The dress was selected by Rachel at Butterfly Bridal Boutique, Bicester, and perfectly complemented the theme.

beautiful bride in village hall

LOGISTICS

If you have a ceremony at a village hall, bear in mind that a turn-around of this room would be required, and this is where I would definitely suggest the help of an event manager or other professional. We can do it in record time! (One hour usually). Regardless, always have a wet-weather-option for guests, so that they are not forced to stand outside if the weather isn’t great. Let them enjoy some drinks, and perhaps some canapés, while your photographer focuses on getting those all-important photos of you and your wedding guests.

On this day, we used another of the Village Hall rooms – the Hazel room – as our drinks reception space, but a small marquee outside would be just as effective.

And 45 minutes later…

Moss-covered biscuits with copper accents by Cherry Tree Cakerie were the perfect favours and tied in perfectly with the theme.

The wedding cake was heavenly with “moss” covering the tiers and green roses.

It can of course be argued that £6900 is a lot of money… but consider this: A generic hotel would charge in the region of £80 per person, normally for a minimum of 80 guests, for a summer Saturday. So that’s £6400 before you add in a bar tab at night. And the next level up: An independent venue, like a stately home or converted barn, would charge around £4000 before you even mention food, beverages, florist and entertainment… In conclusion, a completely unique wedding, with fantastic décor and a generous amount of food and drink, for less than £7k. Well, that’s a win!